Governor Kim Reynolds.
Former Governor Terry Branstad championed statewide standards that overrode local attempts to restrict where livestock confinements may be built, but his successor says she will not propose statewide standards for placement of wind turbines.
The Madison County Board of Supervisors will hold a September 10th public hearing about a county-wide moratorium on construction of wind turbines. “This is a local decision, so that’s exactly what they should be doing,” Governor Kim Reynolds said during a news conference Tuesday.
Reynolds said permits for wind turbine towers are issued by local, not state officials.
“This is something that local governments will be deciding,” Reynolds said. “They’re the ones that grant them and can make the decision not to.”
The Madison County Board of Health claims wind turbines can cause nausea and headaches for people who live in nearby homes. Wind industry officials say there are no scientific studies that make those conclusions. Reynolds told reporters Madison County officials have the authority to follow through on rules barring wind turbines from within a mile-and-a-half of a home.
“Right now, the way that it’s set up, it’s a local decision,” Reynolds said, “so that’s the current proceedures, the statute that they’re operating under.”
After five Iowa counties passed local ordinances raising the minimum wage locally, Governor Terry Branstad signed a state law overriding those local decisions. Branstad also touted statewide curriculum standards for Iowa’s public schools schools.